Stage Manager Monologue

Rianna learn

My heart beat hard against my chest. My stomach dropped sharply and picked up again. A faint smile lined my face and my eyes opened wide. "Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief. "I'm stage manager? But wait-" my smile wavered, "I'm in 8th grade". The adults sitting across from me looked back with encouraging smiles and nodded their heads as they told me they believed I could do this. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered harder as I realized the responsibility and honor I was just given to run the High School musical as an underclassmen let alone a fourteen year old. It was going to be a challenge but I didn't care, I grinned hard, accepted, and thought to myself silently, "I can do this".

The rehearsals flew by in a blur of costumes, dance numbers, and director's notes and in what felt like minutes, opening night was moments away. Dressed in all black, I tugged nervously at the headset draped around my neck and I reminded
I repeated back with all the confidence I could muster, "stage right ready, stand by fifteen". The words rung in my ears and the butterflies in my stomach turned to an angry swarm beating against my rib cage. I held tight with white knuckles to my confidence and approached the group of loud actresses hidden behind the curtain. With a shaking voice, I swallowed my nerves and asked meekly for them to please be quiet and stop talking. The response made my heart hit the floor as a tall blond girl rolled her eyes, scoffed, and walked to a different area of the stage to continue her loud conversation. My heart hit the floor and I realized I no longer had an adult sitting right next to me influencing their decision to listen to me. I didn't look like an authority figure, I was small and so much younger than them. I certainly didn't sound like I was in charge either, no wonder they didn't